About four months ago, I married Pieter. Over a short month later, he was called to work a 70 day position on a vessel that journeyed to Europe. It was an extremely difficult decision for him to go, as with most great opportunities, sacrifices are made. Pieter’s career opportunity also meant leaving very shortly after our marriage, and his absence for our first Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Well, it’s certainly been a long and difficult time, but our wait is finally over. After crossing the ocean 4 times from Baltimore to Germany and England, Pieter will return home to me this very night.
Having dated Pieter long enough to know the difficult time frames of the life of sailor, I felt a bit more prepared for his departure. We had been through a 70 day journey together and this time it wouldn’t be during the preparation of our wedding. Each time he leaves is a little more predictable but it never truly gets easier. We’ve been fortunate enough this trip to have unlimited e-mails (yes, that’s a privilege) and international SIM cards while he was in Europe, allowing us to talk about every 15 days or so. It’s still separation from your husband, and it’s still very, very hard.
In the time that he’s gone, I find myself keeping busy with my day to day life of my job, taking care of our fur-baby, blogging for Simply Blue, geting ‘out and about’ in my truly, lovely north and managing to throw in a hobby or two. Since I’ve had the crafting bug lately and in thoughts of Pieter’s homecoming, I thought naturally of something nautical and love inspired. I remembered stories of woman lighting candles for their sailors to come home and although I A. don’t own a lighthouse, B. don’t have a widow’s walk and C. find it haphazard to leave a candle burning in a house with an all-too-clever pooch. I restricted myself to the ‘lighting of the candle’ and decided vamping up some candles. (much safer!)
I bought some faux Lamb’s Ear, brown paper and unscented candles. Binding a few of the candles with the brown paper, I kept it simple and natural with the shorter ones. I clipped most of the leaves off of the Lamb’s Ear and lined the sides of the taller candles with carefully placed leaves. I’ll need to let them settle in over night and maybe place another layer of leaves tomorrow – in hopes of passing the time before Pieter get’s home, of course!
It’s here. Today is finally here and I couldn’t be more thankful. Cheers!
